New Brunswick has one of the highest percentages of radon in the country, according to a new study 2:00

A new Health Canada study has found radon levels are much higher than previously thought and New Brunswick has one of the highest percentages in the country.

Health Canada tested 14,000 homes across the country over a period of two years and it found that 20 per cent of homes in New Brunswick were above the recommended levels.

The recommended level of radon exposure by Health Canada is 200 Bq/m3 (becquerels per cubic metre) and 18.7 per cent levels in New Brunswick were found to be between 200 and 600 Bq/m3.

Health Canada also found 6.1 per cent of New Brunswick homes had levels of 600 Bq/m3 or higher — the largest percentage in the country above 600 Bq/m3. Only the Yukon came close to that number at 5.8 per cent.

"The last place you'd expect to find a radioactive gas would be in your house," said Victor Nowicki, president of Arc Geobac Group.

Radon is colourless and odourless, so the only way to find out is to test.

"It's a matter of knowledge for people and we are trying to educate people so that they do test their homes," he said.

Nowicki's been testing radon for three years, and says lately business is picking up.

"More frequently, two to three calls a week. Six or eight months ago, it may have been once a week, so knowledge of radon is just getting out to the public," he said.

Radon been a problem in New Brunswick for years.

The Health Canada study also suggests that consequences of radon contamination are more serious than previously believed.